The Dark Lord's Daughter- Book One (A Harry Potter Fan Fic)

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

Leah landed heavily in the center of the dinning hall in Malfoy Manor and dead silence met her ears. She fell to her knees and giggled madly, though she couldn't find anything remotely funny about her situation. Her elation was short lived however. Soon her insane laughter turned into sobs. Where was Barty? Amber? Daphne? Lucius and Narcissa? Draco? Savannah? She was alone.

A small child's cry broke through the silence. Leah rushed upstairs, finding Seth and Arya snug in their cribs, but their nurse was gone. She picked Seth up, who was the one crying, and gently rocked him. He stopped crying instantly. Juggling Seth in one arm and Arya in the other, Leah went back downstairs and set them on the ground where they started to play.

Every sound seemed like a cannon blast to Leah as they echoed through the empty hall. She looked behind her, where the long, empty dining table sat. Those chairs were filled with people not twelve hours ago. Now some of them may never be occupied again. She tried not to think about the people she may have lost tonight as she turned her attention back to her children.

While she was watching them, the doorknob jiggled. Leah's heart beat quickened as she aimed her wand at the door. Had the Order found her already? Leah braced herself, ready to defend her children, but when the door finally opened, Narcissa Malfoy stepped through, followed closely by Lucius, Draco, Savannah, Daphne, and-

"Barty!" Leah sobbed as she hurled himself into his arms. He was covered in blood and dust, as was Leah, but right now, neither of them cared. Barty held her in his arms and they both sagged to the ground, grateful to see one another alive. He stroked her hair, reassuring her over and over again that he was alright while she shook in his arms.

"Leah," Daphne asked. "Where's Amber?"

"She didn't come back with you?" Leah asked thickly, raising her head from Barty's shoulder.

"We couldn't find her," Narcissa answered. "We thought she already came home."

Leah jumped out of Barty's arms like she had been electrocuted. He called after her, but she had already apparated away, landing in the middle of the Hogwarts grounds.

By now, the sun has risen up over the castle, illuminating the death that stained the school. There were three piles directly in front of Leah, one was smoking slightly and Leah could smell something burning. As she got closer, she realized the piles were made up of dead bodies.

The contents of her stomach turned, threatening to spill over. She saw each face was someone she knew. These were the bodies of the Death Eaters who had died last night! As far as the Order was concerned, they didn't get special burials. They were just going to be burned, like animals.

She didn't want to move any closer, but something drew her to the largest pile. On the very top, she could see her father's face. Someone had closed his eyes, probably so the red gleam didn't terrify anyone. Her mother lay under him, a smirk still etched on her face. The image Leah had seen in the Mirror of Erised haunted her now more than ever. She felt tears leak down her face, mixing with the blood and dirt, not because she was mourning the death of her parents, but because she was mourning the image of what could have been.

She turned her head, unable to look at all the familiar faces that stared back at her without actually seeing. That's when she caught a flash of bronze. Leah stepped carefully around the pile and fell to her knees. Staring up at her with empty bronze eyes was Amber.

"No," Leah whimpered. She got closer until she was leaning right over her. "No, no, no, no, Amber, you are not dead." Her voice got weaker as she spoke, the ugly truth crashing over her. She gripped her sister's cold hand, like she was trying to squeeze some life back into her.